The method relates to a brake system of a motor vehicle and to a method for operating such a brake system. The brake system has at least one parking brake which can be activated as well as means for operating the parking brake. Furthermore, the parking brake has at least one control device which has or makes available at least one of the means for operating the parking brake.
Brake systems of the type mentioned at the beginning are known from the prior art. In this context, there are different designs of parking brakes, wherein a common design is a parking brake which is embodied integrated into a conventional wheel brake. In this respect, for example electrical-motor-powered activation of the brake shoe is provided for the parking brake in addition to hydraulic activation of a brake shoe. Because the manufacturers frequently do not manufacture all the components themselves, parts of the brake system are now also obtained from third-party suppliers. In particular the integration of a parking brake of a third-party supplier into the manufacturer's own brake system requires solutions which permit simple actuation of the wheel brake and of the parking brake. In an VDA Recommendation (305-100), the “Kreuztausch” model is described. Here, an interface is shown which integrates a parking brake of a third-party supplier into an existing brake system. In this context, the manufacturer of the brake system makes available a control device with hardware and software environments, in which, in particular, a software package for actuating the parking brake can be integrated as a means for the operation thereof. The control device of the brake system therefore has means for operating the parking brake, in particular software for operating the parking brake. Of course, the control device must also have corresponding electrical interfaces by means of which the signal-technical and electrical connection to the, for example, electric-motor driver of the parking brake is ensured. In this context, the software of the parking brake communicates with the parking brake via the software of the control device, that is to say via the software of the brake system, with the result that ultimately the software of the control device or the control device itself communicates directly with components of the parking brake and, if appropriate, signals back measurement variables or the like to the part of the control device which operates the parking brake.